Creator Of Bewitched Sol Saks Dies

There are very few people walking this Earth that haven’t heard of Bewitched. Samantha’s twitching nose became the show’s trademark, and helped turn the series into the longest-running supernatural-themed sitcom of the 1960s–1970s era.

The show was quoted, referenced to and mentioned in numerous comedies and feature films including Roseanne, Family Guy, The Nanny, The Simpsons andCharmed.The world fell in love with charming Samantha the witch thanks to a comedy writer Sol Saks, who breathed life into the show, but sadly took his last breath on April 16. Saks passed away in Los Angeles, his publicist announced Tuesday. He was 100.

Saks created the series which was picked up by ABC and wrote only the first episode, a pilot titled I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha. The 1942 film I Married a Witch served him as an inspiration to create a story about a witch who weds a mortal man.

Before Bewitched, Saks wrote for the radio comedy Duffy’s Tavern and earlytelevision series such as My Favorite Husband, I Married Joan, and Mr. Adams and Eve. Additionally, he wrote the screenplay for the 1966 comedy Walk Don’t Run, starring Cary Grant. In 1985 his book The Craft of Comedy Writing hit the shelves nationwide.